The Adventure
by wildcat7898
Summary: Saavik asks Uhura to take her on an exciting vacation, but everyone encounters more excitement than they wanted. This story follows "To Old Friends."
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Adventure

Author: Wildcat

Series: TOS

Rating: T

Codes: S & U, Saavik

Summary: Saavik asks Uhura to take her on an exciting vacation, but everyone encounters more excitement than they wanted.

Disclaimer: Paramount owns Kirk, Spock, Uhura and, company. I have just borrowed them for a while, and I will not profit from any of this.

This story is a part of my continuing Spock/Uhura universe. It follows To Old Friends.

Thanks to my beta readers Jungle Kitty, who helped me find the story that was hidden here, and Suzie, the ever-optimistic.

Feedback is desired.

The Adventure, chapter 1

Dashing through the spaceport, Uhura concentrated on reaching Gate 298A. She'd known that this would be a tight connection, but if her flight had arrived on schedule, she wouldn't have run into a problem. Darn that man and his stupid in-flight grubs, anyway! Why couldn't he have just settled for peanuts like everyone else? Instead, he had to raise a big stink and demand that they wait until the shuttle attendant could locate a complimentary package of salted grubs back in the terminal. That man had been disgusting, too. Uhura sure was glad that she hadn't been seated next to him. At least ninety years old, he had bragged so loud about his wealth that everyone on the shuttle could hear him. And the way he kept poking his fingers in his ears-brrr. She'd never known a Ferengi to touch himself in public like that before.

There! Gate 298A! The boarding sign was still flashing, so she wasn't too late. She was so intent on her destination that she didn't notice when a young man stepped into her path. She plowed right into him, and her duffel flew off her shoulder with such force that it popped open and flung her belongings all over the place.

"Oh my! I'm so sorry!" She gripped the man by the shoulders in an attempt to untangle herself. "Are you all right? That was all my fault! Here, let me help you."

"I'm fine, I'm fine." The man pulled away and struggled to his feet. "I should have been more careful. Do you need any help?"

Frantically crawling around on the floor, Uhura began stuffing her things back into the bag. "Oh no, I can manage. Thanks anyway."

"Well, okay."

She spared a quick smile for him as he nodded and walked away, but she immediately returned her attention to rounding up her belongings. Damn! Why wouldn't everything fit now? Leaving two sleeves and part of a sock hanging out, she hastily closed it and tried to lift it back onto her shoulder, but she immediately realized that the strap had broken. Great! It was too unwieldy to carry without a handle. She would just have to improvise.

Her eyes on the sign that had just changed to display the words "Final Boarding," she knelt beside her bag and tied the two halves of the strap together with a big knot. There, that should do it. She slung the bag onto her shoulder and dodged people as she hurried toward the gate.

Panting, she asked, "Am I too late?"

The attendant checked her ticket. "No, but you didn't have another second to spare. You're in seat 14B. It's a full flight, so you'll see that it's the only empty seat left. Hurry-they're waiting for you."

"Thank you."

She'd made it! She smiled with relief as she rushed down the long, breezy corridor. Trying to heft her duffel a little higher onto her shoulder, however, she realized that it was hung on something. And why was it so much breezier here than out in the spaceport?

Suddenly, she cursed under her breath as she realized what was causing the problem. In her haste to tie the strap back together, she'd caught the hem of her flowing skirt in the knot. She'd just walked through the spaceport with her backside displayed for all to see! There wasn't time to try to free herself, so she dropped the duffel on the floor and dragged it behind her. Just a few more steps, and she'd be on the shuttle.

Finally! She stepped through the door and searched for her seat. Seat 14B, the attendant had said...

Oh, no.

There, next to the only empty seat on the shuttle, sat the old Ferengi man. He smiled, displaying a mouthful of tiny pointed teeth, and rubbed his ear appreciatively.

She nodded as politely as she could, towed her duffel down the aisle, and sat next to him with a heavy sigh.

...

"Spock, I would have expected Nyota to arrive by now."

Seated at his desk, Spock did not look up from his work. "Patience, Saavikam. She had a long distance to travel, with three connections. It is very possible that one of her flights was delayed."

"But it is also possible that she cannot find this building. After all, she has never visited your new apartment. Perhaps we should contact the spaceport and inquire about her flight. If it arrived on schedule, she might-"

"Saavik." Spock rested his hands on his desk. "If she encounters difficulty, she knows how to reach us. She will be here. Sit down and at least attempt to relax."

The shadow of a scowl crossed her face, but she sat on the sofa and picked up her padd. Spock watched her for a moment before bending to his work again. He had hardly located his place before she rose and began rifling through her suitcase. He attempted to ignore her.

"Spock?"

Suppressing his sigh, he said, "Yes, Saavik."

"Do you think I should take a heavier jacket than this? Lisa McCormick stated that it often gets cool in the environmental dome over New Houston. When her family went to the moon last summer, they all had to purchase additional outerwear."

"It is my understanding that you and Nyota intend to devote the majority of your vacation to exploring Bailly Crater. If that is indeed the case, you will be wearing an environmental suit. Therefore, the heaviness of your jacket is unimportant. If it would ease your mind, however, by all means put it in your suitcase."

She thought about it for a moment. "No, you are correct. I do not need it. Do you think that Nyota may have actually missed one of her connections?"

Spock had just opened his mouth to reply when his computer signaled an incoming message.

Saavik's eyes grew big. "That is Nyota. She is calling to say that she missed her flight and cannot-"

Silencing her with a stern look, Spock turned toward his computer. "Spock here."

The ruddy face of Lieutenant Orris appeared on the screen. "Sorry to disturb you, Captain Spock, but Commander Scott says that there's a problem with the anti-matter inducer that requires his attention, and he doesn't have time to work with the trainees."

"I see. Where are his students at the moment?"

"They just beamed up to the ship. They're waiting in his office right now."

"Please inform Mr. Scott that I will beam up to the Enterprise in approximately four minutes, at which time I will assume responsibility for the engineering trainees. Please stand by."

"Yes, sir."

Spock adjusted his uniform as he stood. "Saavik, please give Nyota my apologies for having missed her."

Unable to hide her dismay, Saavik said, "Is it imperative that you leave? Perhaps another instructor could take over for you. You only arrived home a short while ago."

He softened as he gazed at her disappointed expression. "The trainees are waiting for me, Saavikam. This is their first full shift on the Enterprise, and I am certain that you can understand how anxious they must be at the moment."

"But... it is almost dark outside. I should not be left alone at this time of the evening. You have said so yourself many times."

"Ah. Then perhaps I should ask Mrs. Furguson to come sit with you."

"No." Saavik grimaced. "I would prefer to be left alone."

Spock kept the amusement from his voice as he pretended to pursue the matter. It had been quite some time since he had experienced any concern over leaving her at home alone. "Are you certain? Mrs. Furguson always enjoys the company and would not mind coming down to this end of the hall for a short period."

"I am quite certain. She is overly verbose, telling me how pretty I am and how quickly I am maturing, and she unfailingly asks me if I have a stupid boyfriend. She treats me like a little child, Spock! I am fifteen years old-far too old for such nonsense."

"Very well. You know where to reach me if you need me." He stepped away from his desk, but paused before calling for beam-up. "Leave a message before you go so that I will know when you departed."

"I will." Sitting on the sofa with her arms crossed, her voice was glum.

"Saavik." He waited until she looked up at him. "Please tell Nyota that I am sorry to have missed her, and that I... hope to see her upon your return. Enjoy your vacation."

Brightening minutely, she nodded. "I am certain it will be a good vacation. I told her that I wished to have an adventure, and she promised that we would. Goodbye, Spock. I will see you in two days."

"Farewell, Saavikam. Be careful." He spoke into his communicator. "Spock here. One to beam up."

He held her eyes as the room dissolved around him. And although Uhura was already twelve point four minutes late and he knew that she was unlikely to arrive during this last split-second, he could not help but strain to hear a possible signal at his door. Soon, however, the walls of the transporter room formed solidly around him, so he nodded to the crewman behind the console and headed toward engineering. He would have liked to see Uhura. Although he had talked to her recently about her upcoming trip with Saavik, he had not seen her since the day they retrieved his grandmother's photograph album, twenty point eight months ago. Perhaps he would see her in two days.

Turning his attention toward the matter at hand, he began reviewing the subjects that he wished to cover with the trainees tonight.

Uhura quickly keyed her credit code into the taxi, then grabbed her duffel and darted toward the front door of Spock's building. Just before she reached the overhang, she stepped in a big puddle and cursed under her breath. Why hadn't she let Spock come pick her up at the spaceport? He had offered but she had refused, not wanting to trouble him. But between her horrible flight, the lack of available taxicabs at the airport, and the weather, she figured that any trouble he went through wouldn't have equaled even a fraction of her trouble.

She paused in the doorway and brushed the water off her clothes. She was sure to look a fright, but there was nothing to be done for that now. Damn! If Spock had picked her up at the spaceport, she could have stepped daintily out of the shuttle, her hair and make-up perfect... Oh well. Telling herself that her appearance didn't matter, she nevertheless reached up to fluff her hair as she walked into the building.

She glanced around the lobby, looking for the lift. This was a nice place, spacious and new. She knew several people who lived here, and they were all very complimentary. From what they said, it sounded like the perfect place for an odd pair like a Vulcan Starfleet captain and an energetic young girl-near Starfleet Headquarters, near several good schools, with a combination of Starfleet personnel, families, and even some retirees among its residents.

Entering the lift, she requested the fifteenth floor. Her stomach rumbled nervously, and she rolled her eyes. Great. Not only did she look like a wreck, but her stomach was going to make embarrassing noises. She probably should have grabbed something to eat before coming over here, but she had thought that a nice dinner somewhere would be a good way to fill her evening with Saavik. Their shuttle to Lunar Station One didn't depart for another three hours, so they needed something to do.

As the lift opened onto the fifteenth floor, she smiled and shook her head. They could have gone anywhere for this vacation-the beach, museums, sight-seeing-but Saavik insisted she wanted an adventure and had practically jumped up and down with excitement when Uhura mentioned going low-gravity hiking on the moon. Personally, it didn't sound like much fun to her. She'd participated in more than her share of low-gravity workouts over the years, but if it made Saavik happy, that was what mattered.

Apartment fifteen-zero-four. Here she was. Closing her eyes for a moment to compose herself, she pressed the signal beside the door. A familiar young voice called out from the other side.

"Who is it?"

"It's Nyota."

The door opened, and Uhura stepped in to see Saavik's bright face.

"Nyota!" she exclaimed. "I am pleased you are here! We were concerned about you. I thought that you might have been lost, but Spock said that you would be here. Did you have problems with your flight? Did you miss a connection?"

Uhura laughed at Saavik's enthusiastic torrent of words. "No, I just had a little trouble getting a taxi at the spaceport."

"Spock had to go to the Enterprise. He told me twice to tell you that he was exceedingly sorry and disappointed that he missed you, and that he hoped very much to see you in two days."

"Oh." Uhura felt her face fall slightly, but she quickly smiled to cover it up. "That's all right. Those things happen. Well. Are you ready to go, then? I'm starving. Let's begin our adventure with a trip to a fancy restaurant."

Already moving toward the door, Saavik said, "That would be agreeable, as long as it is not German food. Spock took me to a German restaurant, and they put a drippy, stringy, and sour substance on my plate. I did not care for it."

"That would be sauerkraut. Okay, no German. How about Chinese?"

"Chinese is acceptable."

"All right. Chinese it is."

Saavik grabbed her duffel, and they left.

End chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

The Adventure, chapter 2

As she worked her way down the aisle of the shuttle, Saavik examined the other occupants. Although she had counted twenty pairs of seats, the shuttle was nearly empty. Evidently not many people wished to travel to the moon at 2210 hours on a Thursday night. A young man sat in the very back seat, jiggling his knee as he stared out the window. Perhaps he did not like to fly. In front of him, a woman rested against the window with her eyes closed, apparently asleep. At the front, an elderly Andorian couple leaned across the little boy in the seat between them, all three sets of antennae bobbing as they fussed over the child and shared a private conversation.

Stowing her duffel under the seat, Saavik asked, "Nyota, what will we do when we arrive?"

"Hmmm... It'll be just the middle of the afternoon there, but I've had a long day. Why don't we do something quiet, then get up early in the morning? We can go ahead and pick up our environmental suits from the rental place and take everything to our room. Then if we have time, maybe we can go look at the Apollo Exhibit."

"That sounds reasonable. Spock said that I must ensure that I watch the early footage of Earth's lunar missions and remember as I do so that humans once thought sending a man to the moon might be impossible. It is difficult to comprehend. They were very primitive. Spock said that they sent certain animals, such as dogs, to the moon! I find that very inefficient, and I have no doubt that the dog did not appreciate the significance of the event. I cannot fathom why they would have been so cautious. If I had been present, I would not have hesitated."

Nyota chuckled. "I'm sure you wouldn't have."

Reaching under her seat, Saavik pulled out her battered old tricorder and began adjusting the settings. "Tomorrow I am going to scan the crater. Spock challenged me to discover how many elements I can identify, and to compute relative percentages for them."

"That's a good idea. Very Starfleet."

They grew quiet as the pilot came on board the shuttle, introduced herself, and began the pre-flight checks. Saavik watched, torn between observing the pilot and continuing her conversation with Nyota, but she finally faced Nyota again.

"Spock and I have discussed the geology and history of the moon in great detail." She turned off the tricorder and rested it in her lap. "I wish that he could have come with us."

"Now Saavik, we've been through that. Spock and I are both very busy, and-"

"He would have come if you had asked him."

"Did he tell you that?"

"No..."

"I didn't think so. Honey, you know that it's better this way. Although he and I will always be good friends, it would have been awkward to go away on vacation together. Besides, I thought you wanted to have an adventure, just you and me."

Saavik looked up toward the ceiling briefly. "Yes, but..."

"But?"

"But the two of you belong together! Can you not see that?"

"Saavik," Nyota said sternly. "It's been almost three years since we decided we'd be better off as friends. A lot has happened since then! Spock has the Enterprise and new interests at the Academy, and I have my duties on the Lexington and at the communications school on Gibraltar. Except for you, there isn't any overlap between us anymore. We've both moved on."

Saavik regarded Nyota under lowered brows. "You mean that you have new boyfriends. Are you still seeing that Tony man?"

Nyota made an exasperated sound. Saavik knew that Spock would reprimand her if he knew she had asked such a personal question, but it was for his own good, and everyone knew that the end justified the means. Not backing down, Saavik said, "I hope you are not. That man was not right for you."

Nyota matched Saavik's glare, but finally rolled her eyes and relented. "If you have to know, Tony and I called it off about five months ago."

Saavik couldn't keep a self-satisfied expression from creeping onto her face. "That is indeed good news. I told you-"

"But I've gone out a few times with someone new, so don't get any ideas in your head."

Realizing that she was in danger of revealing an emotional state, Saavik looked down at the tricorder in her lap, her hopes plummeting just as suddenly as they had risen. A moment later, the shuttle lifted off, so she transferred her gaze to the window and watched the spaceport recede beneath them. Eventually, she asked, "Do you care for him a great deal?"

"It's too soon to know for sure, but yes, I think that I really do. He's one of the instructors at Gibraltar, a very nice, intelligent man with whom I have much in common."

"You will see him next week when you teach your seminar."

"Yes."

Saavik thought about that. "But does it not get boring dating another communications expert? I am certain you talk about nothing but communications. I would think that after dealing with communications every day for years and years in your professional life, you would wish to avoid it in your private life. No doubt it becomes very dull and repetitive."

Nyota smiled and shook her head. "Good try, Saavik, but it won't work. We have many other interests in common besides communications. And that's enough about that."

"But-"

"I said, that's enough." Nyota's voice was firm but kind. "Let's talk about our vacation instead. Have you ever worn an environmental suit before?"

Studying Nyota warily, Saavik knew that this was merely an attempt to change the subject. Nyota understood very well that she had never worn an environmental suit before. They had discussed it just last week. She could tell from Nyota's unwavering expression, however, that the topic was closed.

Finally, she shook her head. Listening as Nyota launched into a description of how an environmental suit worked, she decided that she would go along with the change in subject.

For now.

...

His hands clasped behind his back, Spock strolled from one trainee to the next, looking over their shoulders to ensure that they operated their stations satisfactorily. He had not detected any serious errors on anyone's part, but he could tell that they were timid and nervous. Whether that was due to the fact that this was their first true "hands on" experience aboard the ship, or due to his own presence, he did not know. Probably both.

He decided that a reassuring comment would be appropriate. Pausing behind Cadet Dvorkin, he sighed slightly when he detected her sudden increase in clumsiness.

"Cadets, may I remind you that this is a practice session. The ship is in spacedock and will remain in spacedock. The connections between these stations and the main ship controls are disabled. Therefore, you can do no damage. This is a time for experimentation. Mistakes are to be expected."

Cadet Dvorkin threw a relieved grin over her shoulder, and he knew that his remarks had been well timed. He nodded with satisfaction as she bent back to her board with confidence. One of the more promising students, Dvorkin would be in his class next semester and would be among the first group to take the Kobayashi Maru test under his tutelage. Although the Kobayashi Maru scenario tended to throw even the most capable student into a state of confused inadequacy, he nevertheless anticipated that she would perform very well on it.

As he moved to the next trainee, he thought of Saavik and Uhura. If all had gone according to schedule, their shuttle had departed at 2210 hours Pacific Time, a mere four minutes ago. Therefore, they were most likely just now arising high enough in the Earth's atmosphere to afford Saavik a clear view of the North American continent. He could picture the alert, wide-eyed expression on her face as she peered through the window, and he could hear Uhura's warm voice as she pointed out items of interest, leaning close-

"Captain Spock?"

He turned toward the source of the interruption to find Cadet Dvorkin looking up at him with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Yes, Cadet."

"I'm getting a reading I don't understand. Could you take a look at it for me?"

"Of course."

Leaning over her board, he returned his attention to the moment.

...

"Look, Nyota! I can see the lights of Los Angeles. Oh... now they are gone. The clouds are too heavy."

Uhura craned her neck, trying to see past Saavik. "Look to the east. Can you see the lights along the Atlantic seaboard?"

"Yes. And look how clearly Florida is outlined. That must be Miami at the very end."

From the corner of her vision, Uhura saw that the young woman sitting in the back had left her seat and was walking toward the front of the shuttlecraft. Changing seats like that was a little irregular, but Uhura couldn't blame the woman. That man in the back was so jumpy that the constant tap of his heel against the floor was driving _her_ nuts. She couldn't imagine sitting right in front of him. She leaned closer to Saavik as the shuttle banked slightly to the left, obscuring her vision of the ground.

The sound of footsteps caused Uhura to look up again. The nervous man had left his seat, too. Now, that _was_ strange. Was he following the young woman? Straightening to see where he went, Uhura sincerely hoped he wasn't going to make a nuisance of himself. The older couple and little boy at the front didn't need to be exposed to a scene.

Uhura frowned and leaned out into the aisle. The young woman had seated herself right behind the pilot and seemed to be talking to her, but the man wasn't doing anything, just standing there-

Suddenly, the shuttle dipped sharply and turned, and Uhura heard the old couple gasp. The nervous man grimaced and reached into his jacket. She thought briefly that he might be in pain, but he pulled out a phaser and pointed it right at the old man.

"No one move! I am Ptiar Ferda of the Centauran Freedom Group! This is a hijacking. We are taking this shuttle to Alpha Centaurus in the name of the people. Long live the people!"

Uhura stretched her neck just enough to see that the young woman was holding a phaser to the pilot's head. That must have been the reason for the abrupt change in altitude-the pilot had been startled. Next to her, Saavik shifted slightly in her seat. Without taking her eyes off the man, Uhura reached over and grasped Saavik's arm, trying to convey the message that she should just sit tight and keep her mouth shut.

It didn't work.

"That is an exceedingly foolish plan," Saavik stated loudly. "This shuttle does not have warp capability. We will all be dead of old age before we make it to Alpha Centaurus."

The man frowned and looked quickly at the young woman. "Uh, well..."

The woman whispered something to him.

"Then we will hold you hostages to the movement!" he shouted.

"There is no food on this shuttle. How can you keep hostages if you do not feed them?" Saavik snorted. "You did not plan this very well."

Nudging Saavik to keep her quiet, Uhura pitched her voice to its most conciliatory tone. "Now, I'm sure that the Centauran Freedom Group is a very good cause, and I can tell that you don't want any violence. Why don't you put the phaser away and let the pilot take us to Lunar Base One, just like we planned?"

"No!" He waved the phaser toward the old man. "We have to bring attention to the movement! This will be our statement."

The little boy began to wail. Raising her voice to be heard over the din, Saavik said, "The only statement you are making right now is that you scare old people and little children. What purpose could that serve? You are merely a bully, nothing more."

"No, I'm not. Our cause is good! The oppressors are the bullies-"

Finally speaking up, the woman behind the pilot said, "We're going to take this shuttle to Alpha Centaurus. If we die trying, so be it."

"Uh..." The man glanced nervously in her direction. "That's right! We'll do it or die trying."

Uhura tried again. "No one needs to die. Maybe we should turn the shuttle back to San Francisco. Now, I've never heard of the Centauran Freedom Group, so why don't you tell me all about it? Then, I'll gladly talk to the press about your cause."

Rising suddenly, the woman pushed past the man with a look of disdain and stopped directly next to Uhura and Saavik. "Be quiet! We'll decide what we're going to do next. You two sit quietly, and we won't have any trouble. Do you understand?"

Uhura sighed. "Yes. We won't cause any problems. Right, Saavik?"

Saavik raised a contemptuous eyebrow. "I am thirsty, but of course I cannot have anything to drink because these people did not plan-"

"Right, Saavik?" Uhura said.

"All right." Saavik crossed her arms across her chest, revealing the tricorder.

Leaning across Uhura, the woman lifted the tricorder from Saavik's lap. "And I'll take this. We can't have you programming it to send out any secret messages."

"Secret messages?" A look of disbelief crossed Saavik's features. "That is ridiculous! I cannot believe that you-"

Nodding quickly, Uhura said, "Yes, that's fine. Go ahead and take it. Like I said, we won't cause any problems."

"Good. Now sit still and shut up." The woman stalked back toward the front of the shuttle and began whispering urgently with the man.

Uhura murmured, "It'll be okay, Saavik. Just stay put. They'll figure out that they can't do anything with us."

Saavik leaned close. "I sincerely doubt that they are intelligent enough to comprehend that."

Uhura smiled grimly, and the thought passed through her mind that while those two people might not be too smart, they were reckless enough to get two phasers on the shuttle. And recklessness and stupidity made a dangerous combination.

...

Spock watched as the trainees shut down their stations and wandered away in groups of twos and threes. They had performed well for four intense hours, but he had noticed several of them exhibiting signs of fatigue. Therefore, he had announced a twenty minute break.

He paused as he considered his own options at the moment. Of course, he was not in need of rest, himself. In addition, he had spoken to Mr. Scott approximately twelve point four minutes ago, and he had learned that the engineer projected completion of repairs within the hour. Perhaps the best use of his time would be to retire to his quarters and prepare notes for Mr. Scott to use when evaluating his engineering trainees.

As he strode through the corridors, he thought again of Saavik and Uhura. What might they be doing at the moment? Saavik had expressed great interest in the Apollo Exhibit. It was possible they had checked into their lodging and gone back out in search of entertainment. Then again, Uhura might opt to relax in their room. At any rate, they were certainly on the moon by now and at the least formulating their plans for the remainder of the day.

Entering his quarters, he noticed that the quartermaster had filled his request for a meditation alcove by the wall. Very good. Although the Enterprise was no longer his primary residence, he nevertheless preferred to maintain an area dedicated to the pursuit of the mental disciplines, and he had acutely noticed its absence on the last training cruise. Perhaps his quarters would now better satisfy his requirements for the next cruise.

He seated himself at his desk and remembered his request that Saavik leave him a message when she left. He would quickly check that before beginning the evaluations.

"Computer on. Access Captain Spock's personal messages. Summarize contents."

"Working. Five new personal messages listed for Captain Spock. Message from Admiral James T. Kirk regarding observance of Leonard McCoy's upcoming birthday. Message from Dr. Leonard McCoy requesting that his upcoming birthday be ignored. Message from-"

"Computer. Play message from Saavik."

"No active messages from Saavik."

Spock raised an eyebrow. Saavik had obviously forgotten to leave the promised message, for if she still awaited Uhura's arrival, he was certain that he would have heard about it by now. Logically, however, he must first eliminate the possibility that Saavik had not left.

"Computer. Please contact Saavik at Captain Spock's residence in San Francisco."

"Working. No response."

Spock tightened his lips briefly, resolving to speak with her about responsible behavior upon her return. No doubt she had been excited to see Uhura again, but that was no excuse for such a lapse. Knowing that Uhura had matters well in hand, he nevertheless could not resist addressing the computer again.

"Computer. Confirm arrival of Flight 3034a at Lunar Station One."

"Cannot confirm. No record of Flight 3034a arriving at Lunar Station One."

He sat straighter. "Confirm departure of Flight 3034a from San Francisco Terminal."

"Departure confirmed at 2210 hours."

Taking care to keep his voice calm, he said, "Provide status of Flight 3034a."

"Status green at take-off. Last contact with Flight 3034a recorded at 2219 hours. Current location unknown. Current status unknown. No further details."

Swallowing past a sudden cold tightness in his chest, Spock leaned toward the computer. "Spock to Scott."

Although he knew that he had only waited five point two seconds, it seemed an eternity before Mr. Scott answered.

"Scott here."

"Mr. Scott, are you in a position to resume working with the trainees? I have encountered a personal matter I must pursue."

"Yes, Captain. We're just finishing up here. My crew can carry on without me."

"Very well. Spock out. Computer. Contact Starfleet Security. Urgent."

"Affirmative. Contacting Starfleet Security now."

Spock inhaled deeply and forced himself to relax as he waited for Starfleet Security to respond.

End chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

The Adventure, chapter 3

Slouching down in her seat, Saavik stared out the window. They had been on this shuttle for three hours now, and both the Earth and the moon were behind them. Where did the hijackers think they could go? Would they simply fly until everyone starved to death or died of thirst? Someday, someone would come across the shuttle and find nothing but a collection of desiccated bodies. And still no one would have ever even heard of the Centauran Freedom Group.

She glanced over at Nyota, who seemed perfectly content to read.

"Nyota!" she whispered.

"Yes?" Nyota didn't look away from her padd.

"How can you read right now? You act as if you do not even care that we will all die out in the middle of nowhere."

"I'm not really reading," she said very quietly. "I'm studying the hijackers, trying to learn all I can about them, and I don't want them to know that. If one of them would sleep or at least quit watching us so closely, I might be able to do something. For now, though, we're stuck. Besides, I promise you that we've been missed by now and someone has mounted a search."

"Oh. I had not considered that." She fell silent for a moment. "So even though we might die of boredom, we will not die of other causes."

"Exactly. I'd like to do something about our situation without relying on anyone else, but even if I can't, I'm sure help will come." Nyota gave her a quick smile, then looked back down at her padd.

Her eyes big, Saavik thought about the idea of rescue. Who might rescue them? Spock? He was very busy with the trainees, but if he found out that Nyota was in danger, he would come very quickly. He would come on a shuttlecraft... No, on the Enterprise! And of course such an heroic action would make Nyota forget all about her boring communications instructor.

Saavik peered over the tops of the seats and saw that the rude woman was sitting at the front of the shuttle, and the nervous man at the back. And the bathroom was on the other side of the man. Saavik really needed to get up. Surely no one would shoot her just because she had to go to the bathroom.

"Nyota!" she whispered.

Nyota lowered the padd. "Yes?"

"I have to use the bathroom."

"Are you sure? Never mind. Of course you're sure. Well, if we're going all the way to Alpha Centaurus, they can't expect us to do it without using the bathroom. All right. Stand up-slowly-and calmly get someone's attention."

"Very well." Coming abruptly to her feet, Saavik announced loudly, "I have to use the bathroom."

Everyone in the shuttle looked at her as if she were insane, but no one commented, so she repeated herself.

"I said that I have to use the bathroom."

Finally, the nervous man said, "You can go. But no tricky stuff."

Saavik shook her head as she squeezed past Nyota. "Going to the bathroom is not tricky. For me, anyway. I cannot speak for you."

"Saavik!" Nyota interjected, but before the man could get angry, the woman in the front laughed.

"Oh, she got you there, Ptiar!" Addressing Saavik, she said, "I like you! You have a lot of spunk."

Saavik planted her feet in the aisle. "Does that mean that I can have my tricorder back?"

"No, but-"

"That old tricorder cannot send secret messages. Truly, you have no justifiable reason to withhold it from me."

The woman hardened. "No. And that's final. Ask me again, and I'll throw it out the airlock."

Saavik frowned. Surely the woman would not throw her tricorder out the airlock! Spock had given her that tricorder many, many years ago, and she would not wish to lose it. She made her way to the back of the shuttle without another word.

...

Steepling his hands in an attempt to remain calm, Spock counted the seconds that he was on hold. Finally, the screen brightened, and he saw the visage of the lieutenant who happened to be manning communications at Starfleet security tonight.

"Captain Spock? We contacted the civilian air authorities, and they said they're aware of the missing shuttle."

"And?"

The young man squirmed in his seat. "And they're handling it."

"That is a rather vague answer."

"Uh, yes sir. I know. But they weren't forthcoming with any details. Would you like the name of the man I talked to?"

"Lieutenant, I would 'like' for Starfleet Security to pursue this. Are you aware that the passenger roster of the shuttle contains at least one member of Starfleet?"

"No, sir. I did not know that."

"Then perhaps it would behoove you to investigate the details," Spock replied sternly. "Commander Nyota Uhura is on board, which therefore makes this a matter for Starfleet Security."

"Ah, of course. I see. Commander O'Hare is the officer on duty right now. I'll contact him, and we'll get right on it."

Unconvinced, Spock said, "Very well. Please keep me informed. Spock out."

He slowly laced his fingers together and rested his hands in his lap. Although the lieutenant had promised to act promptly, the man's lax attitude did not inspire confidence. Saavik and Uhura could very well be in danger, or at the very least in difficulty. Perhaps he should assume a more active role in solving this problem.

Reaching his decision, he leaned toward the computer again.

"Computer. Contact Admiral James T. Kirk."

...

Uhura had watched the woman's reaction to Saavik's smart remark with interest. The woman was obviously in charge of this operation, and she had been curt and impatient since the moment it all started. She'd actually seemed to lower her guard after Saavik's impudence, however. Maybe they could turn this to their advantage.

Uhura waited for Saavik to reseat herself, then whispered, "I have an idea. That woman seems to like you. I'm sure she won't let me get close to her, but maybe you can buddy up to her."

She turned toward Uhura, aghast. "Buddy up to her? I would not know how to begin."

"You're an astute observer. Think of what you've seen other people do. You know, sit down, strike up a conversation. That sort of thing."

Raising an eyebrow skeptically, Saavik said, "When I lived with Margaret, I noticed that Rosa could establish a friendship with even the most reticent person."

Uhura remembered Margaret's sweet-natured older daughter. Rosa had been about thirteen or fourteen when Saavik lived there, and she appeared to always make friends very easily. She'd be a perfect example.

"There you go, Saavik. Think of Rosa. Try to smile. Act pleasant."

Nodding, Saavik rose from her seat again and slowly approached the woman at the front of the craft. The woman noticed her immediately and bristled.

She held up the phaser. "What are you doing out of your seat?"

"I wished to talk to you. You, ah, seem to be a very interesting person."

Saavik pressed her lips together in what Uhura assumed was supposed to be a smile, but what looked more like the facial contortion of someone who had something stuck in their teeth. Maybe the smile wasn't a good idea. She willed Saavik to forget about it.

The woman motioned with the phaser. "Sure. I don't mind talking to you. Don't try to sit next to me, though. Sit across the aisle where I can see you."

"Okay!"

Suddenly perky, Saavik plopped into the seat, and Uhura slid down in her own seat and resisted the urge to cover her eyes. Now that she thought about it, maybe Rosa wasn't the best person for Saavik to emulate. Like most young teenage girls, she was a bit silly, flighty, and...

Saavik's voice carried clearly from the front seat. "So. Tell me about your boyfriend."

... boy-crazy. This time, Uhura did cover her eyes, and she immediately began thinking about how to get Saavik out of this situation.

The woman frowned. "My boyfriend?

"Yes. I assumed that the young man in the back of the shuttle is your boyfriend. He is very..." Saavik struggled for a word. "Cute."

The woman snorted. "That idiot?"

"I... think he likes you. Yes, he thinks that you are very... cute." Obviously realizing that the woman could easily verify the truthfulness of that statement, Saavik blurted, "He did not tell me that, but I can see that he would like to take you on a date. Or kiss you. Or-"

Finally unable to stand it another moment, Uhura interrupted. "Uh, Saavik? Why don't you leave the nice woman alone and come back here with me for a while."

Saavik turned around and frowned. "But she is my new buddy, Nyota. Can you not see that? I was just going to ask her if she has ever kissed a boy."

"Saavik." Uhura motioned toward the seat next to her. "Here. With me."

"Excuse me." Nodding at the woman, Saavik hurried back to her seat and leaned close to Uhura. A puzzled expression on her face, she whispered, "What is it, Nyota? It was going very well. A little longer, and-"

"Honey, forget about it. It was a bad idea."

"But I was going to ask her about her hair next, or tell her-"

"Saavik. It wasn't working."

"Oh." Saavik was thoughtful for a moment. "That is just as well. I knew that the next thing Rosa would do would be giggle, but I had no idea how to accomplish that."

Uhura nodded wisely, trying not to imagine what it would have sounded like if Saavik had tried to giggle.

...

Spock began his pre-flight checks as he listened to Kirk, who sat beside him in the co-pilot's seat.

"So." His eyes still puffy from interrupted sleep but his voice alert, Kirk drummed his fingers on the shuttlecraft's console. "Did you learn anything more after I talked to you?"

"Negative." Spock flipped a series of switches. "The shuttle departed on schedule from San Francisco at 2210 hours Pacific Time. The pilot, following standard procedure, checked in to state that she had reached cruising altitude at 2219 hours and intended to switch over to impulse engines. That is all I know."

"All right. So what do you have in mind?"

"I intend to trace the route of the shuttle. While I waited for you, I downloaded the shuttle's signature from the San Francisco air traffic controller's database. As you know, however, an impulse signature is much more difficult to trace than a warp signature. This craft does not have warp engines."

From behind him, McCoy said, "Well, that helps, anyway. Without warp, they couldn't have gone far. We won't have as much territory to search."

"That is correct, assuming they did not crash."

Completing his pre-flight checks, Spock contacted the shuttlecraft deck technician and watched the massive doors part before him. Soon, they sailed free and clear of the Enterprise. Belatedly noticing the silence that had followed his last statement, Spock glanced over his shoulder to meet McCoy's eyes, then turned toward Kirk.

"Once again, thank you both for joining me."

Kirk nodded gently. "I think that I speak for both of us when I say that we're just as anxious to clear this up as you are. And besides, you needed my help. Hopefully you won't need McCoy's, too, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Yes. I agree."

Spock held Kirk's gaze a moment longer, then turned back to his controls.

...

Discreetly rubbing her eyes, Uhura glanced over at Saavik to see that the young girl was still staring glumly out the window. She could certainly understand Saavik's attitude. They had been on this shuttle for five excruciating hours. The little boy up front had begun to cry nearly twenty minutes ago, and no matter what his grandparents did, he hadn't even stopped to take a breath. The poor child. He had to be hungry and tired, and generally fed up with their enforced captivity.

She pretended to stretch so that she could glance casually around the shuttle, but when she looked up front, she met the woman's cold eyes. She suppressed a shiver. Although the man seemed as if he would be a pushover, that woman was another matter. She hadn't relaxed her scrutiny of the hostages since they left and had if anything become more vigilant since Saavik's aborted buddy attempt. Uhura kept hoping that the woman would turn away or at least go sit with the man, but as long as the two of them sat apart and watched so closely, there was no way she could get the drop on them.

Roused by her movements, Saavik turned away from the window. "I am hungry," she said loudly, "and so is that little boy. What kind of people would kidnap children and then not feed them?"

Uhura saw that the woman wasn't going to react to Saavik's words so wearily didn't try to shush her.

Obviously taking Uhura's silence as encouragement to say more, Saavik raised the volume of her voice another notch. "And what kind of people would hijack an almost-empty shuttle in the first place? One would think that if a person were going to make the effort to kidnap someone, they would at least make certain that they had decent hostages and not hungry children."

The woman continued to ignore her, but the boy's screaming reached an ear-splitting frequency.

"And they would NOT TAKE AWAY TRICORDERS!" Saavik shouted.

Jumping out of her seat, the woman yelled, "Shut up! Both of you!"

Ah. Finally a crack in the woman's armor. Uhura watched as the little boy screeched even louder and Saavik continued to rail about the confiscated tricorder.

End chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4

The Adventure, chapter 4

Sparing just the minimum amount of attention needed to keep the shuttle on course, Kirk watched Spock. The Vulcan frowned slightly, his eyes intent on the scanners as he attempted to locate the shuttle's signature. Although it had registered briefly ten minutes ago, they couldn't find it now.

"Do you think we moved out of range?" Kirk murmured.

"Negative." Spock continued to search for the elusive signature. Tapping the corner of the screen lightly, he said, "It definitely originated in these coordinates."

"That's nowhere near their plotted course."

"Yes. I am very aware of that."

A silence fell over the shuttlecraft, broken only by a periodic rasping snore from McCoy. Kirk frowned and tried to ignore the racket.

Raising his voice to be heard, Spock said, "There."

"Do you have it?"

"Yes. Bearing four three mark four." Spock glanced up at Kirk, surprise evident in his features. "On a direct heading away from the moon."

"Away? That's odd."

"Indeed, but there is no mistake. Now that I have located their trail, I can trace it back to where the pilot first engaged the impulse drive. Obviously, the shuttle veered sharply away from the plotted course only moments after. Most curious."

Increasing speed, Kirk adjusted the controls so that they could follow the trail left by the wayward shuttle. His heart beat faster with the knowledge that maybe they had finally found something, maybe they could make a difference, maybe they could solve this mystery and rescue Uhura and Saavik...

The shuttle made a strange choking noise, the lights blinked twice, and everything went dark. Kirk heard the engines shut off, and suddenly they were coasting eerily through space. McCoy muttered something and smacked his lips in the silence.

"Damn!" Kirk fumbled around with the controls, trying unsuccessfully to turn on the batteries. "I can't even get battery power. What happened?"

Spock's voice echoed in the utter blackness. "You have already determined the problem, Admiral. We have no battery power. I cannot restart the engine. Communications are disabled. In short, nothing is working."

Behind them, McCoy snorted and woke. "Huh? What's going on?"

"Something is wrong with our battery, Bones."

"What?" Kirk heard the sound of shuffling footsteps, followed by a bang. "Shit! Stumped my toe. Where are you?"

"Ouch!" Covering his left eye, Kirk swatted blindly in front of him. "You found me. That was my eye."

"Oh. Sorry."

Kirk heard a few more shuffling noises before McCoy apparently found a seat. He could also hear the sound of fingers lightly tapping the console, and he knew that Spock was working by touch alone. "Any luck?" he asked.

"No."

"Okay. Sit tight. I'm going to see if I can get my hands on an emergency light. There should be at least one or two of them around here."

Kirk carefully felt his way toward the back of the shuttle.

...

Saavik nodded when Nyota nudged her elbow. "If I had my tricorder, I might forget about how hungry I am!" she stated loudly.

As she said those words, she knew they were not truthful, but Nyota had told her to raise a commotion and she did want that tricorder back. Watching the mean woman, she added, "And maybe that boy would quit yelling, too!"

Of course that statement was utterly ridiculous, but Nyota had told her to try anything that might fluster the woman. As if to reinforce her statement, the boy wailed louder than ever, nearly choking himself with his blubbering. Saavik closed her eyes, trying illogically to shut it out. Hopefully this exchange would have the desired effect soon. If Saavik herself were in charge, she would have silenced everyone by whatever means available long ago. What was painful to little round ears was torture to sensitive ears like hers, but without food they would obviously have to endure it. Even without her added perturbations, it was clear the boy was hungry.

As was she. Very much so.

As a matter of fact, she could not remember being this hungry since... before she met Spock. She had been feigning agitation before, but suddenly the tiny hint of panic that surged through her was all too real. She tried not to think of what it had felt like in those starved, desperate times, to feel the lancing stabs of hunger, to know that those sharp pains were infinitely preferable to the dull, numb ache that would follow. Oh, why had she not eaten dinner with Nyota? True, she had been so excited about their trip that she had no appetite, but she had sworn many years ago that she would never pass up a meal again. Why tonight, of all nights, had she forgotten that pledge?

Increasing her efforts, Saavik shouted, "That little boy is hungry, as are the rest of us. Do you intend to allow us to starve?"

She had to resist the urge to cover her ears when the boy increased his volume yet again.

...

"Damn it! Why is it our lousy luck that the emergency lantern would run out of power so soon? Damn Starfleet-issue equipment. If this were my shuttle, I'd..."

Kirk wearily tuned out McCoy's voice, knowing exactly what the doctor would say next. They'd been sitting here in the pitch darkness, drifting heaven-knew-where for the last two hours. Spock had long since lapsed into silence, and Kirk didn't know if he was even awake. Maybe he was meditating in an attempt to shut out McCoy's non-stop bitching. Kirk smiled slightly as he fantasized the Vulcan rising from his seat and silencing McCoy with a well-placed neck pinch.

"When I was growing up, my daddy bought one of those old-fashioned Coleman lanterns. Damn thing worked every time. Could Starfleet use something simple and reliable like that? Noooo, they have to go and buy the most expensive, new-fangled-" McCoy stopped talking at the sound of a light ping against the side of the ship, then whispered, "Is something out there?"

"Quiet, Bones."

A moment later, something hit the side of the ship hard, causing a loud clanging sound to reverberate through the cabin. Kirk grabbed the side of his chair to keep from losing his balance.

"Someone is docking with us," Spock said calmly.

"No shit!" McCoy sounded close to panic.

Three loud taps sounded against the shuttlecraft door, and Kirk grinned in the darkness. "Sounds like someone's knocking on our door, Bones. Should we let them in?"

"I don't know! Hell, just give me a moment to move out of the way."

"Dr. McCoy, I assure you that anyone with hostile intent would not 'knock.' Admiral, shall I open the hatch?"

"Yes."

Kirk held his breath as the door slid open. At first, he couldn't see anything but a silhouette against the other ship's brightness, but gradually his eyes became accustomed to the light, and he realized that it was a woman.

A beautiful woman. A very beautiful woman.

He met her eyes and smiled. "Hello. Welcome to our shuttle."

"Hello." She sauntered through the doorway, and he caught a whiff of exotic perfume. Her shirt was low-cut, revealing the decolletage of three perfectly rounded breasts, and her skirt was so tight that she wouldn't be able to walk if it were a centimeter longer. Good thing it was short. Very short. "I tried to hail you but you didn't respond, so I thought you gentlemen could use some... help." Her voice was husky on that last word.

Kirk's smile widened, but before he could respond, Spock said, "Yes. Would you happen to have a repair kit for a McClellan class battery, Starfleet issue, model 5543A?"

She batted her eyes prettily at him. "No, I'm sorry. I certainly don't. But maybe I have something else you would like."

Spock frowned. "Perhaps a repair kit for a model 5565C battery. They are compatible enough that-"

"I'm sure we can figure something out," Kirk said charmingly. "Could we use your communications to call for help?"

She pushed out her lower lip. "No, I'm afraid that the communications don't work very well on my little ship. Maybe I could just give you a ride, instead." She emphasized the word 'ride' with a subtle little wiggle of her hips.

"Jim." McCoy tapped Kirk on the shoulder.

Ignoring him, Kirk said, "A ride? Well, that might be nice."

"Jim."

She smiled slyly. "Oh yes, I've been told that a ride in my cozy little shuttle is always very nice."

"JIM!"

Kirk finally turned toward McCoy. "What is it, Bones?"

McCoy smiled politely at the woman. "Could you excuse us for a moment, ma'am?"

She winked. "Of course. Just call me when you want me."

"Thank you." McCoy waited until she had retreated into her own ship, then faced Kirk. "Are you out of your cotton pickin' mind, Jim? We can't go with her!"

"Why not, Bones? She seems like a nice enough girl. Simple, unassuming-"

"Nice? Yeah, no kidding she'd like to be nice to you. To all three of us, probably. She's no girl, though, and she'll get us into all kinds of trouble. Mark my words. My mother warned me about flashy women like that, and I'm sure yours did, too."

Kirk chuckled. "Bones, I know! She's here, though, she can help, and I don't have a better solution. She can take us to the nearest public comm center or maybe even to a shuttle service station. You've been awfully quiet through this, Spock. What do you say?"

"Our alternatives are to allow her to transport us or to remain stranded. In my opinion, we have no choice if we wish to aid Commander Uhura and Saavik. We would be wise to accept her offer."

McCoy snorted. "Yeah, well I suppose it depends on which offer you mean."

Spock raised an eyebrow. "I have detected only one offer, Doctor."

Looking at him pointedly, McCoy said, "You would."

"Spock and I are going with her, Bones," said Kirk. "You can stay here if you want and sit in the dark until something better comes along."

McCoy scowled. "All right, dammit. I see your point."

"I knew you would." Kirk smiled and moved toward the doorway. "Excuse me, miss. We'd be very happy if you'd take us somewhere to call for help."

...

Just as Saavik opened her mouth to point out the idiocy of thinking a child could reprogram a tricorder to send 'secret messages,' Nyota spoke up.

"Look at that!"

Saavik turned to see that Nyota was studying something at the back of the cabin.

"Excuse me." Speaking loudly to be heard over the boy, Nyota addressed the man in the back. "Excuse me! How can you eat when we have hungry children on board this shuttle?"

Quickly climbing up in her seat so that she could see over the back, Saavik couldn't keep the astonishment from her features when she saw what Nyota was looking at. The nervous man had a banana! He glanced up, his mouth full, and saw the two of them peering in his direction. Shrugging apologetically, he chewed and swallowed.

"You are VERY RUDE." Saavik frowned at him. "What else do you have to eat there?"

"Uh..." He looked nervously at a duffel that rested at his feet. "Nothing, really, uh, just some cookies..."

"Cookies?" Saavik spoke loudly so the people at the front could hear. "This man has cookies!"

The little boy finally stopped crying, although Saavik could hear him gasping for breath in the silence. They all waited as the man shoved his phaser under his arm and tried to balance the half-eaten banana on his lap while he pulled things out of his duffel.

Finally, he said, "Oh, sorry. I guess I was wrong. But I have some breath mints."

Inhaling audibly, the boy somehow found the lung power to raise his decibel level another notch, and Saavik winced at the piercing scream. Everyone began speaking at once, Saavik about her tricorder, Nyota about the half-eaten banana, the two grandparents almost hysterical in their attempt to quiet the little boy-

Abruptly, the mean woman stood and clamped her hands over her ears. "That's enough! I've had it! Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!"

Nyota leapt out of her seat. "Grab his weapon, Saavik!"

Saavik clambered over Nyota's seat and pounced on the man. His belongings flew everywhere as he reacted, but she was too quick and snatched the phaser out from under his arm. Before she could move away from him, however, he managed to get his fingers around her wrist. Bracing her feet against his chair, she tried to back away, pounding on his hand with the butt of the phaser, but she saw that he was too strong for her. She would have to find something else...

There. The banana. It lay innocently on the floor near her toe. Pretending to lose her balance, she quickly nudged it under his foot. He thought he had the advantage and stood, expecting to reel her into his grasp, but the moment he transferred his weight, she knew she had him. His foot flew out, and he fell backwards with a very satisfying thud. Saavik quickly backed out of his reach and trained the phaser at his chest.

Hearing the sound of a struggle, she turned, trying to keep her eye on the man while she determined what was happening at the front of the shuttle. The pilot was stretched out on the floor, unconscious, and the Andorian family was cowering in their seats as Nyota and the woman fought for possession of the phaser. All four hands were on the phaser, and Saavik winced when she saw the woman bring her foot down hard on Nyota's instep. Nyota hardly flinched, however, and with a quick, decisive motion, she brought her elbow up to connect with the woman's chin. The woman staggered, and Nyota did it again. It was clear that Nyota would win the battle, but before she could wrest the phaser away, it discharged. Saavik jumped when sparks flew from the console and the shuttle dipped sharply. Just as suddenly, however, the woman released the phaser, and Nyota pushed her into a seat.

Placing the phaser against the woman's head, Nyota reached for the console with the other. Her fingers danced across the controls for a long moment, and gradually the shuttle leveled out into a steady course again. Keeping a careful watch on the woman, she knelt briefly beside the pilot and nodded once before standing again.

Her chest heaving, Nyota looked back at the shuttle's frightened passengers. "It's okay! It's okay. It looks like we might have lost communications, but everything else looks all right. The pilot just got a bump on the head. Saavik, how are you?"

Saavik couldn't keep the excitement from her voice. "I am well. We did it, Nyota!"

Nyota grinned. "Yes. We did." Turning toward the woman, she gestured with the phaser. "Get back there with him."

The elderly couple and their child clapped as Nyota marched the woman into the back and made her squeeze into the same seat as the man. Handing the phaser to Saavik, she took the straps off her own duffel and the man's bag, and used them to secure the two people.

She stepped back to admire her handiwork. "Well, it's crude, but it'll hold them. Excuse me, sir?"

The Andorian man straightened. "Yes?"

"Have you ever used a phaser before?"

"Ah, no."

"Would you like a really quick lesson?"

The little boy bounced up and down in his seat as Nyota showed the elderly man how to hold her phaser. Saavik found it difficult to believe that anyone would not know the basics, but he proved to be a cooperative student, and soon Nyota had settled herself in the pilot's seat.

Saavik was very proud to be left with the important task of holding a phaser on the two bad people, but first there was something she had to do. She darted up to the front of the shuttle and retrieved her tricorder, and she couldn't suppress a look of triumph when she carried it back to her seat right under the mean woman's nose.

...

Spock leaned back in his seat and attempted to remain patient. The woman's shuttle was barely functioning. It was ironic that their own state-of-the-art shuttle had failed, but this small, smelly, noisy contraption could still move. He was skeptical that it would remain space-worthy for the estimated five point four hour trip to the nearest public assistance facility.

In front of him, Kirk happily smiled and flirted with the young woman, but McCoy had remained silent since their journey began. The doctor was sitting beside him, so close that every rattle of the shuttle caused McCoy's knee to bump against his. Their seat was very unusual for a shuttle of this type, an impractical couch-like bench that appeared to be better suited for sleeping than sitting. Spock knew that such an interpretation could not be correct, for unless the woman took overnight trips or actually lived on this shuttle, she would have very little use for a bed. Obviously the shuttle was not reliable enough to cover the sort of distance that would justify an overnight trip. Also, she did not appear to live here because the only personal belongings in evidence were a number of toiletries and equally revealing clothing...

Ah. Suddenly, all the pieces came together, and Spock understood. He closed his eyes and resisted the temptation to move so that his body made contact with as minimal a portion of their 'seat' as possible. He could not avoid, however, the illogical hope that they could somehow get off this shuttle before the next five point four hours were up.

...

Uhura looked down when she heard the pilot begin to stir.

"Mmmm. What happened?" The pilot pushed herself into a sitting position and rubbed her head.

"We've taken control of the shuttle away from the hijackers and are en route to Earth. There was a little bit of a struggle, and you got hit on the side of the head. Do you remember any of it?"

"Uh, vaguely." The pilot stood shakily and eased herself into the co-pilot's seat. "Where are the hijackers now?"

"Tied up in the back." Uhura smiled sympathetically. "Do you feel awful?"

"Yes, but I'll survive."

"Sorry to just leave you on the floor like that, but I figured it was better than trying to put you in a chair."

The woman flapped her hand dismissively. "It's okay. It's not the first time I've slept on the floor."

They were quiet until the woman turned toward Uhura, revealing a bruised and swollen eye. "By the way, I'm not sure that I can fly this thing in my condition. Do we need to call for help?"

"Communications are out, but don't worry about it. You just try to relax. I have a class A pilot's rating from Starfleet, so this isn't a problem for me."

The woman looked at her in surprise, then chuckled weakly. "That's the best news I've heard all day. If you don't mind, then, I think I'll find a soft seat back there and stretch out."

"You go ahead. Everything is under control."

The woman walked away, so Uhura turned back to the controls and settled herself in for a long ride.

...

McCoy crossed his arms across his chest and scowled. Jim appeared to be having a grand old time chatting up that floozy. His own seat partner, Spock, had been lost in his thoughts since they boarded this fleatrap over thirty minutes ago. Granted, he was probably worried about Uhura and Saavik-they all were-but McCoy would wager good money that Uhura and Saavik were happily frolicking on the moon while the three of them listened to this woman purr at Jim's every word.

Abruptly, bright red and blue lights flashed in the viewscreen, and the woman cursed and slowed down.

Sitting up, McCoy asked, "What is it?"

"Damn! This is the second time this week." All giddiness had vanished from her voice.

"What? What?"

Kirk looked over at his companion. "Mellan, just how often do you get stopped by the police?"

McCoy's eyes widened. The police! Dammit all, he knew it! He knew that nothing good could come of this. Why hadn't Jim listened to him? And Spock! Spock should have known better. Well, it served them both right. He darted a glance over at Spock and saw ominous foreboding written all over the Vulcan's face.

The woman stopped the shuttlecraft with a jerk, and a moment later a shimmering figure materialized in the middle of the craft to reveal a huge, uniformed man. He immediately turned toward the woman.

"Well, Mellan. I thought I told you not to work these parts anymore. Don't you ever learn?"

She smiled and batted her eyelashes. "Oh, but you don't understand, Ernie! These three gentlemen were stranded, and I was just giving them a lift."

"Sure you were." The officer looked around the ship. "You have quite a catch this time, don't you, Mellan? Three of them at once, and Starfleet to boot. This should make for an interesting report."

Kirk smiled warmly. "Excuse me, but I believe I can clear this up. She's telling the truth. We were on a rescue mission and our shuttle broke down."

The officer looked down at his padd. "Yup. Heard that one before."

Spock tried. "If you wish to verify the facts, Officer, we have not traveled far from our ship. Perhaps you would wish to inspect it for yourself."

Pushing his cap back, the policeman shook his head. "Oh, I'm sure there's a shuttle back there. Maybe it'll magically start working again if we take another look." He laughed and turned toward McCoy. "So what's your story? Got anything to say for yourself?"

McCoy scowled, then pointed at Kirk. "_He's_ with her. I'm with _him_." He gestured toward Spock, then scowled even harder when Spock discreetly withdrew the arm and leg closest to McCoy.

"All right, that's enough." The policeman grabbed Mellan by the arm. "Everyone's coming with me. We'll straighten this out at the station."

"You heard the man, Bones," said Kirk. "Do you want to add 'resisting arrest' to the list of charges? Let's go along peacefully. Besides, we can call for help from a police station just as easily as from anywhere else. We'll straighten it out in no time."

McCoy sighed and stood for beam-out.

End chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5

The Adventure, chapter 5

Uhura couldn't resist allowing herself a small sigh of relief as Earth began to grow larger in her viewscreen. Finally they could get off this shuttle. She'd never been so happy about the idea of planetfall in her life.

Suddenly, a small light began to flash on her console. A fuel dump! What was going on? Holding her breath, she quickly reset the fuel monitor controls and managed to halt the process, but not before ninety-six percent of their fuel had bled off into space. Ninety-six percent! Damn!

She checked the shipboard computer, and she couldn't believe her eyes when she saw that it thought it had restored optimum fuel balance. Obviously, that was incorrect. The phaser fire must have caused the fuel monitors to malfunction. A queasy sensation slid into her stomach when she realized that they wouldn't have enough power to land now. And she couldn't simply shut down the engine and wait for someone to rescue them, because they had begun to enter Earth's atmosphere. Earth's gravity had already captured them, and she was committed.

She bit her lip as she discreetly began to shut down non-essential systems, but they were descending so quickly that she realized she couldn't wait any longer to tell everyone.

"Are you all doing okay? Good. I want each of you to calmly find a seat and strap yourself in. Saavik, you and Mr. Thorin sit down, too. Do your best to watch our prisoners but think of your own safety first."

Everyone did as they were told, and Uhura noted with pride that Saavik took a quick walk up the aisle of the shuttle to check on the elderly woman and the child before she returned to the back.

Belting herself, she asked, "What is it, Nyota? Is there a problem?"

Uhura took a deep breath and decided to be honest. "Yes, I'm afraid there is. You see, when the board was phasered, it caused us to lose some fuel. We might still have enough for a soft landing, but it's going to be close."

They were all quiet as they took this in. Uhura looked over at the pilot, who slid back into the co-pilot's seat. The woman's eye was swollen nearly shut now, and she rubbed her forehead. "How long?" she mumbled.

"About two minutes. We're coming in on a direct course for South America, but I'm going to take us in fast and try to land in the water, close enough to shore that someone will see us."

The woman nodded, so Uhura turned back to her task. This would be tricky. She could see South America beneath them, beautifully outlined against the clear blue of the oceans as the sun began to rise over the horizon. The continent was growing larger at an alarming rate, however, and the mountains and rivers were quickly coming into definition. Suddenly, a warning light flashed on her console, and she knew that they wouldn't make it to the coast.

"Brace yourselves!" she yelled.

The ship began to shudder as systems shut down. Hardly taking time to think, she transferred control to manual one system at a time. The air currents buffeted the little craft, but she held it on course by pure force of will. The treetops were just below her now, and she kept the ship steady as she searched for a clearing.

There! Just ahead and to the right!

Banking sharply, she angled the ship so that it would come in on a direct course to the clearing. The path through the jungle was narrow-obviously, a crude road or a trail used by animals-and there wouldn't be any room for error. She heard the elderly woman gasp as the shuttle clipped the treetops, leaving greenery whirling in their wake, but she ignored it, all her attention on the ground directly ahead of them. At the last second, she pulled up on the nose, and the shuttle skidded along the ground. Dust clogged the air, and she felt the friction vanish momentarily as they bounced back up. Before they hit again, however, she engaged the emergency inertial dampers, and when the shuttle hit the ground a second time, it quivered to a halt.

Everyone sat, stunned, as the dust settled all around them.

...

Kirk paced up to the energy field at the front of the cell, then back to where Spock and McCoy stood.

"I can't believe this! How could you have been so careless, Bones?"

McCoy shrugged in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Jim, but I was asleep right there near the door. I didn't know that my credit chit had fallen out of my pocket. She must have just picked it up when she came on board."

"Well, however she got her hands on it, they now think that we paid her for 'services rendered.' How are we going to get out of this?"

"The answer is obvious," said Spock. "We must call someone."

Kirk gestured wildly. "I know that we have to call someone, but who? If this gets out, we'll never live it down."

McCoy frowned as he thought about it. "How about Scotty?"

Spock shook his head. "Mr. Scott is occupied with the trainees on board the Enterprise. He could not possibly leave them."

"Besides, Scotty would never let us forget it," said Kirk. "We could call Kevin Riley."

"Mr. Riley has a regrettable tendency to gossip. I would prefer that we do not contact him."

McCoy snorted and turned toward Spock. "I expect you can come up with someone better? You sure as hell don't like any of our ideas. I know! How about your father? Sarek could take care of this in a jiffy."

Spock raised both eyebrows in alarm. "Perhaps your mother, Jim."

"My mother? Are you kidding? I can't call my mother. Bones?"

"Don't look at me! The only person I could call is Joanna, and I'm not about to ask her to come bail her dad out of jail. I still say we call Scotty."

"As I stated, Mr. Scott is not a good choice..." Spock's voice dwindled away as he looked over at their cellmate, who was sitting on a bunk. "Admiral, I believe that man is looking at you rather oddly."

Kirk glanced over at the other side of the cell. The man hadn't said a word the entire time, but Kirk couldn't deny that his mere presence was threatening. Taller than Spock and probably weighing as much as the three of them put together, his shiny bald head reflected the light. He had a jagged scar running down his cheek, and his open shirt revealed a large tattoo of a naked Deltan woman sitting astride a tiger. Kirk turned back quickly when he met the man's eyes.

Moving closer to Spock, he said, "I think he's looking at you, Spock."

"He is not."

Spock looked over his shoulder, and the man smiled fetchingly, revealing a number of missing teeth. Spock's eyes widened, and he turned back toward Kirk.

Almost as one, the three of them said, "Call Scott."

...

"Nyota! Look at what I have for you!"

Cradling a selection of fruit in her arms, Saavik climbed into the shuttle.

Uhura lowered her tools and looked up from where she sat on the floor beneath the communications console. "Where in the universe did you find those, Saavik? I'm nearly starved to death!"

Saavik crouched beside her so that she could select one. "There is a family out there. They live in Iquitos, Peru, and they were just coming from the market in Bogata! They are very nice, and they gave us food."

Pushing a damp tendril of hair away from her face with the back of her hand, Uhura asked, "Can they call for help?"

"Yes. They are doing that right now."

"Well, hallelujah. This communications console is totally shot."

Uhura pushed herself to her feet, and together they left the shuttle.

...

McCoy sat on a bunk between Kirk and Spock, and tried to avoid making eye contact with the man on the other side. It didn't work, however.

"Hey, you. In the middle. You a doctor?"

Unable to ignore him, McCoy nodded, then scooted closer to Kirk. "Where the hell is Scotty? We called him over three hours ago."

"He'll be here," mumbled Kirk. "He said that he had to find someone else to take over the trainees. He was going to call Spock, but I had to tell him that Spock was here with me."

"Did you tell him about me?"

"Oh, you better believe it, Bones. I even told him that you were the one who paid the hooker."

"What!" McCoy straightened indignantly. "I did not pay-"

Kirk laughed. "I'm just kidding. Calm down."

Muttering to himself, McCoy said, "'It'll be fine,' the man says. 'Nothing to worry about.' And then he tries to make jokes. Well, I'll tell him what to do with his-"

"Hey, Doctor," the man called out. "I've had a sore knee for a long time. Could you come take a look? I promise I'll be nice to you."

Great. Kirk had a willing young woman trying to be 'nice,' and _he_ got a man named Butch who was in jail for almost killing someone during a 'playful little rumble.' Unable to refuse a request for help, McCoy came to his feet and wandered over in the man's direction.

"Which knee?"

"This one. No, wait. This one. No... This one. Yes, I'm sure of it. This knee." Butch pulled up his pant leg to reveal a pale, hairy leg.

Suspicious that the man didn't really have anything wrong with him, McCoy knelt and began manipulating the joint.

Butch leaned forward slightly and murmured, "Hey, Doc. Anyone ever tell you that you have nice hands? So manly but gentle. I always liked a man with sensitive hands."

McCoy looked up to see Spock watching him with an upraised eyebrow. "You better not look at me like that," he hissed sharply, "or I'll tell him that you're the one with the sensitive hands!"

He felt a moment's satisfaction when Spock quickly turned away, but it was soon erased by Butch's next words.

"What's the matter, Doc? They're not being nice to you? Shame on them. If you want, I'll rough him up for you. Just a little."

McCoy shook his head hastily. "No, no. That's all right. We're just kidding around."

Continuing the examination, he hunkered down and prayed that Scott would arrive soon.

...

"Oh, no more for me, thank you."

Uhura smiled and waved the proffered food away as she watched Saavik continue to wolf down the beans and rice. They sat on a beautiful, shady little verandah in the town of Iquitos. A colorful bird squawked and tilted its head, studying them from its perch at the side of the house, and three little children shrieked and played just on the other side of the garden. At the very edge of the patio sat the two hijackers, tied to a pair of wrought-iron chairs and looking extremely surly.

The elderly Andorian man inclined his head. "You have a very beautiful home. Thank you for coming to our aid in the jungle and for providing us with such a wonderful repast. It is almost enough to make me forget our ordeal last night."

"I know what you mean." The pilot held an ice pack to her eye. "It almost seems unreal now-so far away that it might not have really happened. Thank you for rescuing us, Mr. Castilla. It's so nice to relax in such gracious surroundings. The team from the shuttleline should be here any moment, but I'm hoping they'll take their time."

Putting down a bowl of fruit, the young man at the head of the table said, "Please. Call me Ramon. And it is our pleasure to provide you with the comforts of home while you wait."

His wife came out of the house carrying a platter of fresh tortillas. "Ramon, the Woodwards are ready to check out now. Do you think you could take care of them while I look after our guests?"

"Of course, Maria." Ramon excused himself from the table and disappeared back inside the house.

Uhura turned toward Maria. "We were just saying how much we appreciate your hospitality, and how beautiful everything is. It must be nice to run a business like this from your home. How long have you done it?"

"Even though Ramon and I both grew up in Lima, we honeymooned here and fell in love with this place. We couldn't believe it when it came up for sale! We had talked for years about running our own bed and breakfast, and it seemed like fate. We bought the house six years ago."

"It's lovely. I'm sure you enjoy..."

Uhura fell silent at the sound of approaching voices.

"Well, they're here," said the pilot. She stood and waited for the new arrivals to join them.

After a moment, a group of people walked onto the patio, and at the front was a burly man who immediately addressed the pilot. "Geez, Celia, you got yourself into a hell of a mess this time. That's a beaut of a shiner. So what did the other guy look like?"

Saavik frowned. Evidently deciding that speaking up was more important than eating, she said, "It was not her fault. The hijackers made the hell of a mess. She did a very good job and was brave despite being injured."

The man chuckled and said gruffly, "I guess I've been straightened out then, haven't I? In that case, Celia, I'm awed by your courage."

Saavik frowned harder, obviously uncertain if she was being teased or not. Before she could continue, the pilot laughed and patted the big man's arm. "Oh, stuff it, Bobby. I suppose you're here to check out the shuttlecraft?"

"Yeah, and these folks are from the corporate office, and that lady over there is with the police. They want to talk to everyone, and then they'll take you on to your destination. I'm afraid you people will be pretty late getting to the moon, but better late than never, I say."

"Good enough." The pilot turned toward the people standing clustered by the door. "Do I have to stay, too, or can I go with Bobby?"

A polished-looking man stepped forward. "We ask that you stay for a short period."

She nodded. "Can you find the shuttle, Bobby?"

"Yeah, I saw it on the way in. See you later." He tipped his head toward the people seated around the table and left.

Apparently impatient with the chit-chat, the policewoman seated herself at the table. "Let's get down to business. First, I want you all to tell me everything that happened, no matter how insignificant it may seem."

...

Spock looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps and could not deny a sensation of extreme relief when he saw Mr. Scott striding around the corner. A wide grin on his face, the engineer said, "Why, look at ye three. Caught! Red-handed!"

Kirk chuckled as he stood stiffly. "Stow it, Scotty. Have you signed for us?"

Scott pretended to think about it. "Well, I don't know. Ye look like pretty dangerous characters to me. I wasn't sure I wanted to put my good reputation on the line."

"Scotty!" McCoy exclaimed. "Please-just rescue us."

Spock raised an eyebrow at the undignified pleading tone that had crept into the doctor's voice, but he did not comment. After a moment, the warden palmed the lock, causing the energy field to shimmer and vanish, and he held out three small envelopes containing their communicators and other belongings.

Kirk slapped Scott on the back. "Thank you, Scotty. We owe you one. Did you bring the repair kit?"

"Aye, I did. One repair kit for a model 5543A battery, ready and waiting."

"Great! If you could just drop us off at our shuttle, we'll be on our way."

Scott frowned. "What were ye doing way out there in a shuttle, anyway, Admiral? It's awfully far from nowhere."

"We'll tell you while we're en route. We've wasted enough time. Let's get moving."

Spock followed the other men down the corridor. Unable to resist one last look at their cell, he glanced over his shoulder to see Butch, sitting by himself. A forlorn expression of longing was on the man's face, and Spock quickly faced forward again.

Perhaps Butch would have some more companions before long.

...

Saavik gazed up at the treetops over the verandah as the others tiredly talked to the people from the shuttleline. The policewoman had already left with the shuttle pilot and two prisoners, but these stuffy people in their business suits kept wanting to talk about the shuttleline's safety record and other such boring trivia. She inhaled, appreciating the clean, exotic scent of the air around them, and as she looked up at the lush greenery, a bright blue and yellow bird swept out of the branches. The pet bird next to the house saw it too, for it squawked loudly and danced back and forth on its perch.

A communication device beeped, and she looked back toward the group around the table. One of the men spoke quietly to whoever it was that called, then nodded and stood.

"That was the pilot of the shuttle that will take you on to Lunar Base One now. Of course, you will travel first-class as our guests, and the shuttleline will also reimburse any costs you have incurred so far."

Nyota came to her feet. "Well, Saavik, are you ready to go low-gravity climbing now? We'll still have a little time."

"Nyota!" Saavik's eyes widened at an idea. "We can stay here! The Castillas have an empty room. I heard them talking about it. Today is almost over, but tomorrow we can explore the village and hike in the jungle. It will be much better than going to the moon."

Surprise on her features, Nyota thought about it for a moment. Finally, she held up both hands. "Why not? It's beautiful here. By the time we got settled on the moon, it would almost be time to leave. If we stay here, we can enjoy ourselves to the very last minute, then just zip home. And to be honest, I was not excited about getting back on a shuttle right away." She turned toward the man with the communication device. "Think you can send a shuttle back here for us around 1700 hours tomorrow?"

He hesitated. "Ah, I'm not sure. I mean, we already have a shuttle for you. I'll have to discuss it."

"It is the very least you can do," said Saavik. "Putting us on a shuttle with no food, then allowing someone to carry phasers aboard, subjecting us to such a horrible ordeal-"

The man silenced her with a nod. "Of course, of course. A shuttle will be here to transport you from Iquitos to San Francisco at 1700 hours tomorrow."

"Great!" said Nyota. "It's settled. Can I borrow that communicator for a second?"

His shoulders sagged slightly as he handed it over. Trying her best to appear calm, Saavik held Nyota's eyes as Nyota raised the communicator.

"Starfleet channel for Commander Spock, San Francisco."

She waited, and Saavik deduced that he was not home. A moment later, Nyota began to speak again.

"Hi, Spock. It's Nyota. I just wanted to let you know that we encountered some excitement," she grinned at Saavik, "and we changed our plans. We're going to stay the night at a bed-and-breakfast in Iquitos, Peru, called 'The Blue Parrot.' We should be back in San Francisco by 1800 hours tomorrow. See you then. Uhura out."

She handed the communicator back to the man, and they turned to locate Mr. and Mrs. Castilla.

End chapter 5


	6. Chapter 6

The Adventure, chapter 6

Settling himself into the pilot's seat, Kirk watched Scotty's shuttle vanish in the distance, then turned to Spock. Spock was already busily running diagnostics.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes, Admiral. You may engage the engines at will."

Behind Spock, McCoy asked, "What will we do now, Jim? A lot of time has passed."

"All that we _can_ do, Bones. Follow the trail."

Spock bent over his scanner. "I am detecting the shuttle's signature, Admiral. It is faint, but discernible."

Kirk nodded. "That's all we need."

The stars transformed into long streaks of light as the ship went into warp. They had hardly reached warp velocity, however, before Spock said, "Admiral!" He looked up, unable to keep the excitement from his eyes. "The shuttle reversed course. The trail now takes us on a direct heading back toward Earth."

Kirk slapped his hand on the console. "I knew Uhura wouldn't let a hijacker get away with it! I'll contact Starfleet Security to let them know that the shuttle appears to have returned."

Spock nodded, and McCoy felt the slight tug of the inertial dampers as Kirk kicked the shuttle's speed up a notch.

...

Folding her nightgown, Uhura watched as Saavik let a tiny lizard scamper up her arm. They'd put in an incredibly full day-rising at the crack of dawn, hiking far into the jungle, eating a huge meal late in the afternoon at a quaint little restaurant in town-and it was hard to believe that it was already time to go.

The lizard jumped off Saavik's shoulder, but before it could escape, she recaptured it and carried it over to the open window. It froze for a moment when she placed it on the windowsill, but an instant later it darted away.

Uhura smiled. "I had a good time today. What about you?"

Saavik sat on the bed next to Uhura's open duffel. "I found it most enjoyable, especially when the troupe of howler monkeys swung through the trees over our heads. They did not like us."

"No, they didn't. They sure made a lot of noise. I think that my favorite part was down by the river, when we saw the fish swimming in and out of the sunny spots. They glittered like jewels."

"What do you think Spock would have liked the best?"

"Hmmm..." Picking up yesterday's shirt, Uhura said, "He probably would have liked the river, too. He told me once that he's always fascinated by large bodies of water, and even though the river wasn't all that wide at the spot we saw, it boggles the mind to think about how long it really is."

Uhura started folding as she remembered that evening when she and Spock had discussed his fascination with the ocean. They had walked in the dark, far away from their little beach house, and before they had turned back, he had watched her skinny-dip in the ocean. She would never forget the look on his face when she walked slowly out of the waves, how cool the air had felt against her naked body as the water evaporated, his reaction when she had pressed herself against him, the heat of his hard body against her own...

"Maybe we can come back someday and bring Spock," said Saavik.

Uhura forced herself back to the present. "Now, Saavik. I've told you-"

A discreet knock at the door stopped her in mid-sentence. "Excuse me, but your shuttle just arrived."

"Oh! Thank you, Ramon. They're a little early. Tell them we'll be there in a minute!"

Hastily stuffing the rest of her belongings in the duffel, Uhura said, "Saavik, you need to finish packing! We don't want to keep them waiting."

Saavik had already come to her feet. "I know, Nyota. I will not take long."

Soon, they watched the emerald green forest recede beneath them.

...

"Jim. Wake up. Jim."

Reaching backwards across the aisle, Spock gently shook Kirk's foot. Although they had encountered no difficulty tracking the shuttle's return flight, they had finally lost the trail just inside Earth's atmosphere. Spock had expected that, however, for the pilot would have disengaged the impulse engines at that point. Fortunately, he had gathered enough data by then to project the shuttle's course. The two humans, opting to nap during his tedious search of the South American continent, had asked him to wake them when he found something.

And he had found something.

"Huh?" Kirk rubbed his face and sat up. "What is it?"

"I have picked up a large metallic object, consistent in size and composition with a shuttle. We will arrive in approximately two point four minutes."

"Is it on the ground?" Kirk moved from the passenger area back into the copilot's seat.

"Affirmative. I read no power usage. Evidently, it is either inoperative or abandoned."

Spock heard a scuffling sound behind him as McCoy slid into the seat just vacated by Kirk. "Life signs?"

"One. Human."

Silence stretched tautly between them as Spock brought their craft down toward a gap in the thick forest growth. There-almost hidden. The shuttle, and behind it a long trail of broken ground and debris. Spock felt his heart rate increase as they landed and quickly climbed out.

A large man in grubby coveralls crawled out from underneath.

"Uh, can I help you?"

"Yes." Spock took care to keep his tone businesslike. "We are searching for some acquaintances who had boarded a flight to the moon that never arrived. Do you know anything about such a flight?"

"This is it. Damn hijackers tried to take the shuttle to Alpha Centaurus but never made it. Obviously."

"Was anyone injured?"

"Nah, they're fine. Just tired and grumpy, a little shaken up. Who are you looking for?"

Spock couldn't help but close his eyes briefly in relief, and suddenly he realized that every muscle in his body ached from the accrued tension of the past two days. He forced himself to relax as Kirk spoke up.

"A woman with a young girl."

"Oh, you mean the gorgeous lady and the mouthy kid?" He winced apologetically and darted a glance toward Spock. "Uh, sorry."

Spock stopped himself before he emitted an audible sigh. "Yes. That would be them."

"They were here."

"Where are they now?"

The man squinted up at the sun. "Another ship came to pick them up yesterday and take them to the moon."

Kirk gestured toward the shuttle. "What happened? Who hijacked the flight?"

"Two members of the Centauran Freedom Group."

"The Centauran Freedom Group?" said McCoy. "Who the hell are they?"

The man shook his head. "I don't know, but they were real idiots. Blasted the console and took out communications. Drained the fuel supply, too. I've been working on this piece of junk since late yesterday and still can't get the damn thing to work." He paused as if really seeing them for the first time. "Hey, you guys are with Starfleet, aren't you? Is Starfleet involved? Geez, this crisis has been over since yesterday morning. I'm surprised you didn't already hear all about it."

Quickly meeting Kirk's eyes, Spock knew that his own exasperation was mirrored in the admiral's expression.

Kirk shrugged slightly. "We've been busy. Maybe, ah, they haven't been able to reach us-"

Spock's communicator beeped as if in response to Kirk's statement, and he heard McCoy snort as he raised it to his mouth.

"Captain Spock here."

"Captain? This is Lieutenant Braun at Starfleet Security. You know that missing shuttlecraft you were asking about day before yesterday? I wanted to let you know that I just heard from the civilian authorities in San Francisco. It had been hijacked, but they recovered it somewhere down in Peru. Everyone is fine."

This time, Spock could not help but sigh. "I see. Do you know any other details?"

"Just that the hijackers are in custody. They claimed to be with the Centauran Freedom Group, but we haven't been able to figure out who that is. I tried to call you a while ago, but you didn't respond to my hail."

"I understand. Thank you, Lieutenant. Spock out."

Spock put away the communicator, and they all stood in silence for a long moment. Finally, Kirk chuckled, and a moment later, McCoy joined him. Soon both men were nearly doubled over in gales of laughter. Spock raised both eyebrows as he looked from one to the other.

"I do not understand what you find so funny. We have just utterly wasted the last forty one point six hours. We have not eaten, hardly slept, and been subjected to a great deal of stress. I have neglected my students, and no doubt the two of you also had plans for the last two days that did not include meeting a man named 'Butch.'"

Kirk wiped moisture from the corner of his eyes. "And you don't think that's funny?"

Spock considered it for a long moment. "No, I do not, but I concede your point."

Kirk clapped him on the shoulder. "Let's go home. I predict that there's a big glass of brandy, a comfortable chair, and a book, just waiting for me."

Turning toward the man in the coveralls, Spock said, "Thank you for your assistance."

"Think nothing of it. Glad to help."

Spock nodded politely, then caught up with Kirk and McCoy, who had already started back toward their shuttle. McCoy was grinning as he talked to Kirk. "Me? The first thing I'm going to do is take a long, hot shower."

Kirk rubbed a hand across his chin as he climbed into the shuttle. "That sounds pretty good, too. What about you, Spock? When is Saavik due back?"

"Commander Uhura is scheduled to return Saavik at approximately 1900 hours this evening. My primary goal is to arrive at my apartment before they do."

"You shouldn't have any problem doing that." Kirk took his seat at the helm again.

"I anticipate that I will precede them by at least forty minutes." Spock placed his hands on the controls, but paused and looked at Kirk from the corner of his eye before engaging the thrusters. "By the way, I see no need to inform either Uhura or Saavik that we pursued them."

"What?" Kirk grinned crookedly. "You're going to miss out on the opportunity to let Uhura know that you went gallivanting across the galaxy in an attempt to rescue her from the... Uh, and got arrested for... Er, yes. I see your point. Okay, I won't tell. Bones?"

McCoy was quiet for so long that Spock turned around. "Doctor?"

His lips pressed together, McCoy looked from Kirk to Spock. Finally, he waved both hands in the air and said, "Oh, all right. Darn! I would have loved to see the look on her face when she found out. And you know Saavik would have been tickled pink-or maybe pale green-to hear that we did this for her. But I see what you mean. I'll keep it quiet."

Satisfied, Spock turned back to his board, and a moment later they were soaring up toward the Enterprise.

End chapter 6


	7. Chapter 7

The Adventure, chapter 7

Scooping up the loose cards from the middle of the table, Saavik shaped them into a neat stack and began to shuffle. She tried her best to do it slowly. Nyota had said that she would stay until Spock returned, but Saavik didn't want to take any chances. If she could make this next game last another twenty minutes, Spock would certainly return by then. He would be surprised that they had beat him home.

She had just begun to deal when she heard the door open behind her, followed by the sound of a familiar voice.

"Greetings. I had not expected to find you here."

Nyota, seated across the table, glanced up but did not rise immediately. Her eyes were luminous as she looked at him, and Saavik watched the play of emotions across her face with fascination. Obviously, she was very pleased to see him, but why did she not speak? Saavik waited curiously until finally Nyota broke the short silence.

A broad smile creasing her face, she said, "We had a little change in plans."

"Indeed?"

Saavik turned around. "We were hijacked, Spock, and they tried to take us to Alpha Centaurus! I told them that they could not do that without a warp drive, but they did not care. They had phasers and they threatened us all, but Nyota and I were very brave. We overpowered them, just the two of us, and we crash-landed in Peru. We met some people who had an extra room to rent to guests, so that is where we decided to stay."

Spock sat down at the table with them. "That is quite a story, Saavikam. Am I to assume that you never made it to the moon?"

Nyota tilted her head in puzzlement. "I recorded a message for you. Didn't you get it?"

"I am sorry, but no, I did not. I have been rather busy recently."

"Oh." She shrugged. "Well, I guess it didn't matter. You could have tracked us down if you'd really needed to."

That statement appeared to amuse Spock, but he did not comment on it. Instead, he said, "I am relieved to note that neither of you appear to have suffered greatly from your ordeal. They did not mistreat you in any way, did they?"

Saavik drew herself up. "They did not treat us well at all. We had no food or water, and the woman even took away my tricorder. She was very rude."

Nyota chuckled. "They didn't harm us, Spock. We're both fine."

"That is good. Were you able to derive any pleasure at all from your trip?"

"Oh yes, Peru was beautiful. We stayed in a little village called Iquitos and spent all day yesterday exploring the forest. Tell him about the monkeys, Saavik."

"You should have seen them, Spock." Saavik looked up at the ceiling as if the monkeys would appear overhead. "There were approximately eight of them, but they made so much noise it sounded like many more. They tried their best to make us go away, howling and shaking leaves at us. The river was very impressive, too. Nyota said that she thought that would have been your favorite thing."

Nyota looked down at her hands on the table, and Saavik watched with interest as her cheeks flushed a sudden deep red.

"Well, uh," Nyota stammered, "I just know that you're interested in large bodies of water like that."

Spock appeared amused again, and suddenly Saavik felt as if they were speaking a different language than she was. He leaned back in his chair as he watched Nyota's reaction.

"I am certain I would have found it fascinating," he said dryly.

Although she didn't alter the angle of her head, Nyota peered up at him and grinned. Saavik narrowed her eyes. Yes, some sort of communication was definitely going on here. Why could these two people not see that they belonged together? Clearly, someone more perceptive than either of them needed to step in.

Nonchalantly placing the cards on the side of the table, Saavik said, "We have not yet had supper, Spock. I am in the mood for Chinese food. Nyota, you like Chinese, do you not? Perhaps the three of us should go find something to eat."

Nyota held up both hands and shook her head, and Saavik's shoulders slumped when she interpreted the body language. As expected, Nyota came to her feet and started away from the table.

"Oh, no. That was a nice suggestion, Saavik, but I really need to be going. I'm expected on Gibraltar later. I'll get out of your way so that you two can do something about supper."

Saavik frowned. "But-"

Also rising, Spock said, "Of course. I understand. We would not wish to detain you. It was agreeable to see you, Nyota. Perhaps we shall see you again soon."

Pushing away from the table, Saavik followed Nyota toward the door. "Nyota, are you not hungry? There is a very good Chinese place nearby."

"No, dear." Nyota picked up her duffel. "I had a wonderful time. I'll call you soon, and we'll plan our next trip. Next time, though, let's try to have less of an adventure, all right?"

Saavik pressed her lips together as both sets of eyes turned in her direction. Finally, she said, "Very well. But please do not plan something boring."

"It's a deal, then. We'll shoot for a happy medium." Nyota turned back toward Spock. "It was good seeing you again, Spock. Keep in touch."

"I will, Nyota. Have a safe journey."

"Thanks. Goodbye."

She smiled at both of them one last time before walking out the door. Spock and Saavik both gazed at the closed door for a long moment, then turned toward one another. Although Spock did not allow any hint of his disappointment to show on his face, Saavik of course knew that he was very unhappy. She struggled to think of something to say that would remind him that Nyota had much work to complete before her class started on Monday, and that her failure to dine had nothing to do with any reluctance to spend time with him. Before she could speak, however, the door chimed.

"Come," he said.

The door opened to reveal Nyota, her bag on her shoulder and an embarrassed grin on her face. "You know," she said hesitantly, "it's already so late at Gibraltar that I won't get anything done until tomorrow, anyway. And I really am hungry. There are several intriguing-looking Chinese restaurants between here and the spaceport, and maybe you could drop me off afterwards. If you want..." Her voice trailed away as she watched them.

Saavik looked quickly at Spock.

The corner of his mouth turning up very slightly, he raised an eyebrow and glanced at Saavik. "I would find that agreeable. Saavik, do you have any objections to Nyota's proposal?"

"No!" Saavik realized that she had almost shouted, so she composed herself. "I mean, such a plan is agreeable to me, as well."

"Very good." Spock gestured for Saavik to precede him out the door then reached for Nyota's duffel. He slung it onto his own shoulder, and they started down the hall.

Dragging her feet so that the two adults would walk ahead, Saavik wondered how she could ensure that the three of them not only sat at a booth in the restaurant, but that she, herself, took up a whole seat. That way, Spock and Nyota would be forced to sit next to one another. And it would have to be a little booth so that they would sit very close.

"Spock? Could the two of you wait for a moment? I wish to go back for my jacket. Sometimes restaurants are very cool."

Nyota answered. "We'll wait, Saavik. Hurry on."

As she headed back to the apartment, Saavik could not resist nodding to herself in satisfaction. She would put her coat on the seat next to her, and there would be no room for anyone else. Spock and Nyota were most fortunate that they had someone so alert to look after them. She grabbed her coat and caught up, and they all entered the lift.

"Saavik?" Nyota said casually. "Don't forget to give Spock his message."

"Thank you for reminding me, Nyota. An Officer Maritsky called to say that he found something in his cruiser that might belong to one of you. He was not certain, but he thought it looked like a medical device. He also stated that the detective on your case had spoken with Starfleet about your rescue mission, and that you would be relieved to know that all charges relating to your 'little adventure' have been dropped."

Saavik tilted her head curiously as Spock looked at her with an expression of disbelief on his face.

Smiling sweetly, Nyota said, "So. Would you care to tell us all about this 'little adventure,' Spock? It sounds like it might be a fascinating story."

Sighing, Spock stepped back to allow Nyota and Saavik to precede him out of the lift, and together they departed for the restaurant.

End story

The next story in this series is The Other Woman


End file.
